How the bullpens stack up for ALDS Game 5

The Rays and Yankees are going to a winner-take-all Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Friday night at Petco Park after New York’s 5-1 victory on Thursday pushed the series to the brink.

The stakes -- a meeting with the Astros in the AL Championship Series -- mean that it should be pretty close to an all-hands-on-deck situation for both clubs.

While teams in previous Game 5 situations had the benefit of off-days after Games 2 and 4, the 2020 postseason schedule provides no such luxury. The lack of travel means this will be the fifth game in five days between the two clubs.

Because of that, starters Tyler Glasnow of the Rays and Gerrit Cole of the Yankees will need to come back on short rest for Game 5. That might limit their workloads, but fortunately, their respective managers (Kevin Cash and Aaron Boone) should have relatively deep bullpens at their disposal.

Here is a look at where each team’s ‘pen stands heading into this enormous Game 5. The only pitchers excluded here are New York’s Masahiro Tanaka and Jordan Montgomery and Tampa Bay’s Charlie Morton, each of whom started in the past two days and would not figure to be available.

YANKEES

Locks to appear

Aroldis Chapman, LHP: The flamethrowing lefty made his first appearance of the series in Game 4 and recorded a four-out save on 23 pitches. He showed no ill effects pitching for a second straight day this season, striking out eight in five hitless innings across five appearances.

Zack Britton, LHP: He looked fantastic in Game 4, striking out three of the five batters he faced in his first action since Game 1. While it was Britton’s longest outing of 2020 in terms of innings, he threw a manageable 22 pitches.

Likely to see

Luis Cessa, RHP: He’s thrown at least two innings six times in 2020, including in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, which gives the Yankees some protection in case of a short start or extra innings.

Deivi García, RHP: He became the youngest starter in Yankees postseason history in Game 2 but threw only one inning. García threw as many as seven innings in a game this season and should be available as long as he’s needed. Whether he appears may depend on how much length Cole can provide on short rest.

Next men up

Chad Green, RHP: He’s the only pitcher on either team to appear in both Games 3 and 4. But he’s also the only pitcher on the Yankees’ roster who pitched on three straight days this season (Sept. 2-4), recording a save in that third game.

Adam Ottavino, RHP: Some hiccups in the second half of this short season threw his role into question. Ottavino has faced just two batters all postseason and walked one of them, so it’s clear he’s not one of Boone’s preferred options right now. He might still be a weapon in a key situation against a righty, but the three-batter minimum could be a concern.

The rest

Jonathan Holder, RHP: While he is rested (11 pitches all postseason), he also allowed eight runs over his final three regular-season appearances. Don’t expect to see him in a high-leverage situation if the Yankees can help it.

Michael King, RHP: The rookie’s only postseason innings thus far came with the Yankees behind by six runs in Game 3.

Nick Nelson, RHP: He tossed scoreless innings in Games 2 and 3 of this series, but both with the Yankees losing.

J.A. Happ, LHP: He is probably not at the top of the list after being hit around for four runs in 2 2/3 innings in Game 2, but might be an option in an emergency.

RAYS

Locks to appear

Nick Anderson, RHP: He’s one of the game’s elite relievers and will be on two days’ rest. It would not be a surprise to see the Rays try to use him for two innings, as they did in Game 2.

Diego Castillo, RHP: With a 1.66 ERA this season and three scoreless postseason outings, Castillo figures to see action at some point.

Peter Fairbanks, RHP: His only appearance in the series was a save in Game 2, albeit not an emphatic one. Fairbanks walked two and gave up an RBI single to DJ LeMahieu that brought Aaron Judge to the plate as the potential go-ahead run before recording the final out.

Likely to see

Blake Snell, LHP: Many assumed it would be Snell starting Game 5 on short rest, rather than Glasnow, but Snell did allow four runs in five innings in Game 1. Still, he has experience coming out of the bullpen, including a scoreless 1 1/3 innings in last year’s ALDS Game 5 against the Astros.

Next men up

John Curtiss, RHP: He was highly effective this season (1.80 ERA) and bounced back from a blowup in ALDS Game 1 (five earned runs) with a solid outing in Game 3.

Aaron Loup, LHP: The veteran was third on the team in regular-season appearances (24) but has yet to appear in this series, perhaps because the Yankees don’t have many lefty bats.

Shane McClanahan, LHP: The first pitcher to make his MLB debut in the postseason, McClanahan has shown poise in two appearances, to go with a high-90s fastball and nasty slider.

The rest

Trevor Richards, RHP: Placed on the roster Thursday to replace the injured Oliver Drake, Richards hasn’t seen game action since Sept. 17. He can provide innings if needed but wouldn’t be a high-leverage option.

Aaron Slegers, RHP: He made his first career postseason appearance in Game 4 and allowed three hits and a run in 1 1/3 innings, so the Rays may not be eager to bring him right back.

Ryan Thompson, RHP: The Game 4 opener threw a season-high 44 pitches. In his three appearances on zero rest this season, he was never coming off more than 20 pitches.